Canon EOS 500D (Rebel T1i) – Review / Test Report – Verdict

Article Index

Introduction
Body Tour
Resolution + Dynamic Range
Sensor Noise
Applications
Sample Images
Verdict

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Verdict

The EOS 500D is yet another milestone in Canon’s success story in the popular consumer DSLR class.
An excellent all-round camera for beginners but also for enthusiasts who are looking for a light-weight DSLR at
a very fair price level.

The Canon EOS 500D features a very high resolution of 15.1 mega-pixel, movie functionality including full high definition
recording, as well as high ISO up to 12.800 and a big 3.0” LCD with 920.00 dots. Great specs compared to the
competitors in its class. That said take this bunch of specs with a grain of salt.
Canon put three more mega-pixel on almost the same senor size of its predecessor but it achieves only a marginally
better resolution. Furthermore, the HD movie recording is only capable to providing 20 fps which is somewhat insufficient
for judder free motion.
The ISO sensitivity can be set up to ISO 12.800 but that’s really more a marketing gimmick than a feature because the
sensor noise reaches disturbing levels from about ISO 1600 onwards. The big external display is one of the best that we
have seen so far but it’s still hard to use in sunny conditions and it’s only “fixed” rather than articulated like on
the Nikon D5000 or Sony Alpha 380.

Nevertheless, the EOS 500D is another recommendable masterpiece from Canon. However, Canon EOS 450D users don’t really
need to upgrade unless there’s a critical need for the movie mode functionality.

Pros and Cons
ProsCons
great resolution still somewhat sub-optimal live-view mode
good video recording functionality in HD pretty slow contrast AF (“Live mode”)
very good handling (adequate number of buttons) quite noisy images @ ISO 1600
big and bright 3’’ display with 920.000 dots Full HD video mode not recommendable (only 20fps)
efficient dust reduction system still problems with auto WB at artificial light
quite fast and reliable AF (even in low light)
light weight and compact, but not too dwarfish
satisfying battery life